Refrigerated food cabinet



Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,933

J. R. REPLOGLE REFRIGERATED FOOD CABINET Original iled NW 9, 1923 I N V EN TOR.

Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. BEPLOGLE, O1 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY HESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

KELV'INATOB CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF HIGH- IGAN.

Original application filed November 9, 1928, Serial No, 673,878, and in Canada August 30, 1923. Divided Y and this application filed August 26, 1926. Serial No. 181,593.

This invention relates to refrigerated cabinets for food and the like, and particularly to a form of food cabinet having a brine tan with one or more food chambers disposed tank and the openings in the top wall of a.

refrigerated food cabinet, so that food containers can be readily inserted and removed from the food chambers and without distorting or breaking the walls of the tank.

A further object of the invention is to provide a refrigerated cabinet in which a wall extends from the open end of a food container and is secured in the opening in the 20 cabinet top so that the passage of warm air interiorly of the cabinet exterior of the food chamber is prohibited.

Other objects of the invention, more or less incidental are ancillary to the foregoing, Wlll 95 appear in the following description which sets forth, in connection with the accompanying drawing, a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The drawing illustrates a side elevation of 30. a refrigerated food cabinet which is partiall in section to illustrate my invention incorporated therewith.

Referring in detail to the construction 11- lustrated, 10 represents an le irons which form the side sills of a main rame for a cabinet. The 5 aces intermediate the sills at the sides of t e frame are enclosed by a board wall, as shown at 11, and a bottom board wall 12 extends intermediate and rests' upon the bottom angle irons forming the main frame.

An insulating wall 13 is provided adjacent the interior of each of the side walls of the easing, and a pair of superposed layers of insulating material 14 are arranged to rest upon the bottom wall 12 of the casing; The top wall 15 of the casing is composed of a plurality of superposed wooden .members 15, which rest u on the top an 1e irons 10 and are secured t erewith by bo ts 16. The top wall is provided with a plurality of openings which extend therethrouglrto provide passages through which access may be had to food chambers interiorly of the casing. The side and top walls of the casing are enclosed by a sheet metal cover 18, the top portion of the metal cover being out out to align with the openings 17 and has edges 19 bent downwardl adjacent each opening.

A s eet metal pan 20, of substantially the same size as the space between the insulated 60 walls interiorly of the cabinet, restsupon the upper layer of the bottom insulating material 14 and receives the sheet metal brine tank 21. The brme tank 21 includes a plurality of vertically extending annular sleeves 22, which 66 are open at their upper ends and form food chambers. The brine tank rests upon the pan 20, and the sleeves are open at both ends and substantially surrounded by the brine within the tank. Annular plates 23 are in- 7 serted through the sleeves 22 and rest directly upon the pan 20, such pans forming the support for food inserted within the sleeves, and in this manner the weight of thefood in the sleeves will rest upon the pan 20 and the 7 joints of the tank will therefore receive no weight.

It is common practice to form the tank shorter in height than the vertical interior space within the cabinet, and unless containno ers, such as ice cream cans and the like, are carefully inserted into the sleeves 22, serious damagewill be done to the to wall of the tank. Containers for carr ing ice cream and other foods erect a rigi heavy construction, while the walls of the tank are general ly formed of thin copper, and if the containers are dropped against the tank the 'oints are very apt to become separated an the top wall to become distorted so that there will be leakage of the brine, or to become distorted so that the openings at the top of the sleeves will be inaccessible for the insertion of cans. In order to overcome this difliculty and also to permit the food containers to be readily positioned within the sleeves or food chambers, and to seal the s ace between the open tops of the sleeves and t e top walls '15 of the cabinet casin I provide sleeves 24 which are preferably ormed of a single sheet of I cuprous material which isof a size such that it will form an annular structure equal in diameter to the food sleeves when assembled within the cabinet. The upper surface of the bottom layer of the wall 15 is provided with a groove 25 which extends inwardly from the opening, and the upper end 26 of the sleeve is bent outwardly to form a flange which fits within the groove 25. The sheet of material forming the sleeves 2 iean be rolled to a smaller diameter than the openings 17 in the top of the casing so that they can be inserted through the openings and permitted to ex iand, so that the flanges 2(i,will extend into the groove 25. The sleeves 24 are of suflicient Width so that their bottom edges extend a considerable distance into the upper open ends of the sleeves Ordinarily the flanges 26 will prevent displacement of the sleeves 24 when they are assembled Within the cabinet but suitable pins can be inserted through the sleeves to engage the bottom layer of the top wall 15 of the casing, if desired.

W It will be seen that the sleeves 24 enclose the space intern'iediate the top wall 15 of the casing and the top wall of the tank. and that they provide a guide which will direct food containers inwardly of the food chambers withoutcontaeting with the sleeves until they are inserted a substantial distance within the casing. The sleeves also provide closures between the top of the brine tank and the top Wall of the casing 15 to prevent the warm air from circulating exteriorly of the brine tanl: when a lid is removed.

Suitable removable lids 27 are provided to close the upper end of the openings 17. Suitable means can be provided interiorly of the tank for cooling the brine, such as may be seen in my above mentioned co-pending application.

Various chan es can be made in the detail structure d escribed Without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat 1 claim is:

1. In a. refrigerated food cabinet, the combination of a heat insulated chamber having an apertured top wall formed of material or low heat conductivity, a brine tank Within said chamber having open food storage compartments in alignment with the apertures through said top wall, and annular sleeves having a flanged end adapted to be embedded in id top wall adjacent. the apertures interm ate the upper and lower suri'ae said sleeves dcpendii .o the storage 1,eee,saa

compartments to form a continuous enclosed passageway.

2. In a refrigerated food cabinet, the eombination of a thermally insulated chamber having an apertured top wall formed of laminations of material of low heat coiuluetivity, a brine tank Within said chamber having open food storage compartments in alignment with the apertures through said top wall, and metallic sleeves having a flanged end adapted to beheld between the lan'iii'iations of said top wall and extending into said conipartments. said sleeves forming an unobstrmted guide for the insertion of food containers into said food storage compartments.

3. In a refrigerated food cabinet, the (ombination of a heat insulated chamber having an apertured top vall formed of material ol low heat conductivity, a brine tank in said chamber having open food storage compartments in vertical alignment with the apertures through said top wall, and annularlv resilient metallic sleeves extending from said apertures into said eompartments, said sleeves being removable from said apertures \vhen contracted.

l. In a refrigerated food cabinet, a brine tank having food storage compartments therein, a top wall disposed in spaced relation above said brine tank and composed of heat insulating material having a superposed metallic top member and provided with openings therethrough disposed in alignment with the said food storage compartments, and sleeve members having one end disposed within the food compartment and the other end secured to the Wall of the opening in the top wall in spaced relation with said metallic top member.

5. In a refrigerated food cabinet, the combination of a heat insulated chamber having an apertured top wall formed of material of low heat conductivity, a brine tank in said chamber having open food storage compartments in alignment with the apertures through said top wall. and annular metallic sleeves extending from said apertures into said compartments. said sleeves being split longitudinally and circumferemially rompressihle to permit removal thereof from thrcabinet.

In testimony whereof. I hereunto allix my signature.

JOHN R. REPLUGLE. 

